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The key themes discussed were the development of the continents’ oil and gas resources, with a focus on exploration, regulatory frameworks and governance

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, November 1, 2017/–The African oil industry met this week to discuss the potential, but also the challenges, that the industry faces as the continent moves towards the commercialisation of its huge gas and oil reserves. Six of Africa’s oil ministers from Cote d’Ivoire, Namibia, Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, South Africa attended, including US Secretary for Energy Rick Perry. The event drew speakers from the highest echelons of government, operators, service providers, legal, advisory and research firms. The key themes discussed were the development of the continents’ oil and gas resources, with a focus on exploration, regulatory frameworks and governance.

Identifying the way forward for the industry was a strong theme, as Africa competes for investment capital. The African continent accounts for 16% of active offshore fields and 70% of offshore fields, these are either under development or represent potential developments. It was agreed that there are big opportunities to use Africa’s substantial gas resources to meet the constant and ever-growing need for power. This in turn will trigger economic growth within the continent to meet the needs of a projected population of 2 billion in 2035. But in order for this to happen, there needs to be greater cooperation to move energy around the continent. In addition, African countries need to address the regulatory and fiscal conditions in order to attract investment and reignite the development of identified deep-water assets and to exploit the substantial latent exploration potential of the continent.

Reflecting on the Ministerial presentations and those 160 experts that spoke at the conference, Paul Wilson Africa Oil Week’s (www.Africa-OilWeek.com), Portfolio Director, ITE Group said, “The conference has confirmed that the African oil and gas industry is set to grow as it realises its true energy potential”. As US Energy Secretary said, “We see progress, we see signs of political and economic freedom that bring stability and prosperity.” Phil Loader, Executive Vice President, Global Exploration, Woodside Petroleum, Australia, said, “There is a significant amount of resource potential”, and BP’s Jasper Peijs, Vice President of Exploration, Africa confirmed that, “We are growing our footprint in Africa”.

But perhaps Tullow Oil’s CEO Paul McDade, summed the conference up by saying,” Africa will need to compete for capital, competition is going to be tough, where the lowest cost producers will win. In that race Africa has a number of critical advantages, it is perfectly placed between the main global refining centres in the US, Europe, Asia where demand does continue to growth. The quality of the oil in East and West Africa is good generally light, and critically it has low sulphur content… Africa has significant potential to deliver low cost crude both from new developments and existing operating areas…Africa has got a full range of opportunities on-shore, off-shore, deep water, shallow water and can suit all companies large and small … there is immense opportunity”. And finally, he praised Africa Oil Week as, “The eminent conference in Africa, a world class event”.

The dates for Africa Oil Week were confirmed as 5-9 November 2018 where the conference will once again take place in Cape Town, South Africa.

The host and organisers of the West African International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (WAIPEC) say that the second edition of the event will multiply the value proposition of the debut conference, held in February 2017.

PETAN (Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria), an umbrella group of engineering service companies is the host. Global Event Partners (GEP), are the organisers.

“WAIPEC will return to the Eko Convention Centre 7-8th February 2018 as the only oil and gas event held in partnership with Nigeria’s petroleum industry”, say both PETAN and GEP. Working together, the two “will draw on their global resources to ensure that the event delivers to the needs of all stakeholders in Nigeria and through the region”.

‎Ranti Omole, who is head of Conferences at PETAN as well as Chairman/CEO at Radial Circle Group, says that there has been adequate time for preparation of the 2018 edition, compared with the inaugural 2017 outing. “Last year, we managed to deliver a great conference at such terribly short period of time”, he told Africa Oil+Gas Report.

That statement feeds into the promo that says “WAIPEC 2017 was the largest petroleum event of its kind in West Africa, as the city of Lagos welcomed in thousands of key regional stakeholders – plus leading international E&P firms and partners – to develop and drive new business across the sector.
It featured in excess of 25 technical and strategic conference sessions, driven by an esteemed steering committee.
Omole recalls: “The latter part of 2017 was hostile period in the subcontinent. “When we started last year, there was a whole lot of instability in West African oil industry, the head of GNPC was being removed, the same thing was happening in Cote d’ Ivoire, and the same thing happened in about 3-4 countries like that and that also made things to be too tight. Also. We started trying to talk to people during the holidays; December to early January. The success proved to us that we had good contacts”.

“The starting point is to get the cream of the society, the next thing is to ensure that we have regional representation: heads of NNPC, GNPC, PetroCI, GEPETRO. We have a strong advisory board”.

Taking place in the epicentre of Africa’s petroleum economy, WAIPEC stands as the largest event of its kind – having welcomed over 6,000 participants, over 450 senior VIP delegates and over 250 investing companies, including regional NOCs and global IOCs in 2017 and it is set to double again in size for 2018. Click here for details of the conference.

Platform Petroleum Limited, the E&P arm of the Platform Petroleum Holdings Limited, invited the industry and academia to its commissioning of a Geoscience Building in the east of Nigeria.

Nestled in the lush rolling savannah hills of the University town of Nsukka, eighty kilometres north of Enugu, the one-storey white and brown structure of the Department of Geology named Austin Avuru Building houses two forty-eight seater lecture rooms dedicated to 500 Level and Postgraduate students, fourteen offices all ensuite, seven laboratories and a museum.

All rooms are installed with 1 and 2-horsepower cooling units Six entry and exits points facilitate easy movement in and out of the 5-block/wing structure. The facility sits on 6000 square metres with the built-up area accounting for 930 square metres. Ground to topmost ceiling height of 13.9metres and a wrap-around car port space with accommodation for 50 vehicles well parked. Water supply is provided by three 5,000 litre tanks situated behind the building.

Platform Petroleum Limited organised a bidding round to award the construction project. Safrador Nigeria Limited came out tops, and was awarded the contract on the 26th of October 2015.
Construction began the very next month of November starting with clearing and levelling the site. Groundbreaking occasion for the building construction itself held December 1st 2015 the board of Platform Petroleum Limited present for it.

The project divided into two phases Building Construction, Landscaping, Perimeter Fencing, Creation of a 100-metre Access Road and adjoining drainages 0.8metres deep by 0.6 metres wide being the first phase, while the furnishing of the building the second phase.

Total work scope took 16 months, logging 28,800 man-hours. The building construction which basically happened on site with blocks and paving stone created in-situ ran within specified time of a year ready for handover by December 2016 with the original presentation and handing over ceremony slated for December 26 2016.

Handover date was postponed because The University authorities wanted a little more. The building has its entire electrical and waste disposal facilities embedded in the ground for both aesthetic and practical reasons. According to the builder, trunk lines used to connect light from source buried underground though more expensive are the better option, same for the sewage disposal as they’re neater, safer and stronger. Specified ducts spread around the building make provision for repairs when needed.

A power-plant is located in the old Geological Building right across, powers the Austin Avuru Building in addition to the institution’s supply system. The building has an open space plan in accordance to oil and gas operating standards whereby an area made unsafe can be evacuated within the shortest possible time. It also serves for free-flow of traffic between the old Geological PTDF Endowment Building and the new Austin Avuru Building.

As such no reason for gates. White Texcote swathes the entire building, considering the regularity of rainfall and soil type present within the area, will such colour be the wise decision? “The use of Texcote is also to avoid unnecessary staining of the wall via human contact. Its prickly nature dissuades regular contact with human skin, ”he builder explainsHOW IT ALL BEGAN-
UNN’s department of geology had been “chased out” of their former basement abode in the Faculty of Biology and were managing the space at a smaller Geology Building built with an endowment fund by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund PTDF. That place wasn’t big enough to house lecturers, according to Dimchidozie .I. Princeton, a petroleum geologist and lecturer in the Department. It was created primarily for laboratories.

At an E&P summit K. Mosto Onuoha, Chair of the Shale Gas programme at the University, fellow of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) and the longest serving member of the faculty, met with Austin Avuru, founding Chief Executive of Platform Petroleum and intimated him of the plight facing the department.

Avuru took action immediately. Communication began on May 12th 2015 when Project manager Nojeem Onifade brought an official letter stating Platform Petroleum Limited’s intention to present an endowment to the institution. Fast-forward two years later and a building is in place to house the lecturers of the department, provide laboratories, museum and dual lecture rooms.

THE MAKING OF THE ENTREPRENUER AUSTIN AVURU-
Moshe Ameachi, Acting Group Managing Director of Platform Petroleum Holdings, himself an Alumnus of University of Nigeria Nsukka, recounted a paper co-authored by himself and Austin Avuru which the latter presented at the 1988 NAPE Conference and Exhibition, stating the viability of the Marginal Fields Allocation. He at the time was a senior officer to Mr Austin Avuru at NNPC, the Nigerian state hydrocarbon company and he thought a Return On Investment (ROI) of 10% was good enough for the Nigerian entrepreneur to take advantage of.

They held on to the idea and when an opportunity presented itself, with the marginal field bid rounds of 20002/2003, they swung into action. Avuru became the Managing Director of Platform Petroleum, one of the over 80 companies that contested for the 24 marginal fields on offer. Platform had a redoubtable board: Edmund Dakouru, a respected geoscientist and former GM Exploration at Shell Nigeria, former GMD NNPC was its chairman. There was Sylvester Adegoke, one of the country’s top professors of geology, as was Moshe Amaechi himself, on the board.
Platform Petroleum led every other company in the bidding round and was awarded five fields, which got whittled down to three, then to one and half. It was called the Asuokpu-Umutu field. A total of 31 Nigerian companies (some of them in pairs), were awarded 24 fields in all.

Platform Petroleum went ahead to become the first of the 24 marginal field operators to bring its field on stream. They had partnered with Lekan Fadeyi’s Newcross Petroleum, which provided funding and thus began a sixteen year harmonious joint venture still exists at present. Austin Avuru led Platform until 2010 when seeking more challenges he took Platform into a partnership with Shebah Petroleum to birth SEPLAT PLC, which bought the 45% equity belonging to Shell, TOTAL and ENI, in Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 4, 38 and 41.

If the Nigerian indigenous E&P landscape is a Universe, Austin Avuru is one of its shining suns. In less than three years since Seplat commenced operatorship of those three assets, with Avuru as its CEO, the company had tripled production and taken the company public listing on two stock exchanges- The London Stock Exchange and Nigerian Stock Exchange. He’s also championing the indigenous gas agenda and got an offtaker for SEPLAT’S produced crude, a step away from the agreements marginal field operators have with IOC’s to offtake their crude, often times a fractious contention.

Benjamin. C. Ozumba, a professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Vice-Chancellor of University of Nigeria Nsukka, declared that Austin Avuru was a rare breed who asks what he can do for the institution and fulfils his pledge.
OSA OWEIADOLOR, MANAGING DIRECTOR PLATFORM PETROLEUM Limited, describes the organisation he leads as “a local content vehicle dedicated to value-creation”. He stated the entire project creation has been a huge sense of fulfilment, responsibility and value creation which we believe earns us the right for more responsibilities.

For the man at the centre of it all Austin Avuru, here’re his words- “My father used to say, whatever God gives you, you should share it! There’s always something to share from whatever God gives. We do not talk about what we spent, we show you what we do! I expect the Department and University to maintain this facility, it’s already been built for them, maintaining it is a responsibility they should shoulder. Let’s do other things for other institutions across the country.

The student who would be utilising this facility should be the best and work hard at what they do. If this doesn’t encourage them, I don’t know what else will! Succinct words from a well tested proven hand”.

Nigeria’s minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, is the Special Guest at the opening of a new Geoscience Building at the University of Nigeria UNN, in Nsukka, in the east of the country, on Wednesday June 28, 2017.

The building was constructed over a period of two years at a cost of 190Million Naira (0.6Million Dollars), by Platform Petroleum Limited, an independent Nigerian E&P company which operates the 3,000BOPD Egbeoma Oil Field in the western Niger Delta.

Platform is donating the new building to the university in honour of Austin Avuru, the company’s founder and animating spirit, who was also its first Chief Executive. Avuru is currently the Chief Executive of Seplat, a London listed E&P firm created as an incorporated joint venture between Platform and Shebah, another Nigerian independent.

Kachikwu, who is a first class law degree holder from UNN, is expected to be joined at the ceremony by Edmund M. Daukoru, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and the founding Chairman of Platform’s board of directors, as well as Dumo Lulu-Briggs, the company’s incumbent chairman as well as Sylvester Adegoke, a professor of geology who is also a former chairman of Platform. Other distinguished guests named for the ceremony’s “high table”, as it is called in Nigeria, include ABC Orjiako, chairman of SEPLAT, Bolaji Ogundare, Managing Director of Newcross Petroleum, which is a 40% joint venture partner with Platform on the Egbeoma field as well as the University’s Vice Chancellor, who is the chief host and chief executives of other oil companies.

Platform Petroleum’s spokespersons say that the facility, which is christened Austin Avuru Building, “is the first CSR intervention by Platform Petroleum Limited outside of its operation site and host communities around the Egbeoma oil field in Delta State, and it came out of the desire of the company to support Mr. Avuru’s desire to reduce the huge infrastructural deficit at his alma mater.”

The new building is much bigger than the old dilapidated departmental building and will provide office space for lecturers as well as laboratories and lecture halls for students.

This piece has been updated from the original story, which had 1,800BOPD as Platform’s production. Platform says it has increased output to 3,000BOPD in the last one month.

The Africa Oil Week will have its 24th edition in Cape Town, South Africa from 23-27 October, 2017.
“The Conference & Exhibition provides the most trusted platform worldwide”, according to ITE Exhibitions, the event’s orgainsers,. “It brings together governments, national oil companies, corporate players, independents and financiers with support from service and supply operators shaping Africa’s oil, gas and energy future.

“Annually, more than 1,250 corporate and influential leaders and thinkers from every continent attend the flagship Africa Oil Week that attracts a key oil and gas audience to Cape Town, offering a content driven program, quality industry exhibition and five star networking opportunities”, ITE asserts.

The Organisers say that some of the Key Highlights are:

• Longest-running and most prominent event held worldwide in and on the African Continent for its fast-growing oil, gas-LNG and energy industry news and business partnerships.
•First-class networking and social interface with multiple opportunities for all to create and cement relationships that will shape the future for oil and gas in Africa.
• Deal-driven industry Exhibition
• Sizeable in-room investor and finance potential

Equatorial Guinea’s entry into OPEC, the passage, by the Nigerian Senate,of a transformational oil legislation and a more robust crude oil price than what prevailed in the last two years are some of the reasons organisers of the West African International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (WAIPEC), are assured of a larger gathering in the 2018 edition.
The summit will take place at the Eko Convention Centre, in Eko Hotel, in Lagos Nigeria.

“Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon, with their hydrocarbon industries on the coast of the Atlantic in West Africa, have fared well in the past two quarters, relatively speaking”, says Sam Ojehonmon, an energy analyst focused on Subsaharan Africa. “Addax alone has net close to 25,000BOPD in Cameroon and the ease with which Shell sold its Gabonese assets points to confidence of the international markets in the country”, he explains. “These suggest that a West African Oil and Gas Summit can be fruitful in terms of market intelligence and networking”, Ojehonmo says.

Working directly with PETAN, (an umbrella association of local engineering contractors in Nigeria) the organisers, dmg events, say they “will draw on their global resources to ensure that the event delivers to the needs of all stakeholders in Nigeria and through the region”.

It’d be useful if they see the players in West Africa as significant contributors to the conference.
“WAIPEC is the event created by the industry, for the industry”, says dmg events.

The company says that:

For details on how to get involved in WAIPEC 2018 contact the organising committee today:

Join PETAN in Houston 1-4 May at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) Nigeria Pavilion, stand 560 and meet with the team driving the 2nd West African International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (WAIPEC) to secure your exclusive sign up discount and involvement in WAIPEC 2018.
The event will be returning to Lagos for its second edition 6-8th February 2018 following hugely positive feedback from the inaugural WAIPEC which took place at the Eko Convention Centre in February.
Over 350 delegates and over 200 participating companies took part in WAIPEC 2017, which over two days–through topical debates and speaker sessions, offered exclusive insight in to how to unlock strategic value within West Africa’s oil and gas sector, how to leverage innovation, best practice and technology to grow the industry and how to remain competitive in a tough global market. Click here for more details

The West African International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (WAIPEC) will return to Lagos, in Nigeria, for its second edition 6-8th February 2018.

The Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), which backs the new gabfest, says that the second edition is insured by the “hugely positive feedback from the inaugural event” which took place at the Eko Convention Centre in February 2017.

“Over 350 delegates and over 200 participating companies took part in WAIPEC 2017”, PETAN says in a release. Through topical debates and speaker sessions over two days, “the conference offered exclusive insight in to how to unlock strategic value within West Africa’s oil and gas sector, how to leverage innovation, best practice and technology to grow the industry and how to remain competitive in a tough global market”, the statement declares.

“An international exhibition ran alongside the conference showcasing all of the latest products and services from companies”, PETAN reports. “Speakers and participating organisations included representatives from The Nigerian National Petroleum Company, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Companies Ltd, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, First E&P Development Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.

“WAIPEC’s programme for 2018 will build on the progress of 2017 and will once again be driven by an esteemed steering committee, representing a cross section of key stakeholders from the Nigerian oil and gas industry”.

Bank Anthony Okoroafor, Chairman of PETAN commented; “WAIPEC 2017 provided a great platform for the very best representatives from across the West African energy industry to come together and discuss, deliberate and share their insight and knowledge towards creating beneficial strategies for the betterment of all areas of the industry. After some fantastic feedback and much demand, we are delighted to announce that WAIPEC will return for 2018, where we will continue the conversation and hopefully reflect on the progress that has been made from 2017.”

The Conference calls on all to visit www.waipec.com for full details and registration.

Over a four day period, more than 25,000 delegates are expected to participate in the 7th North Africa Petroleum Exhibition & Conference from 21st to 24th March 2017, at the Convention Center, Oran, Algeria.

North Africa’s largest international trade fair for the oil and gas industry is primarily dedicated to the Upstream, Midstream and Downstream sectors of the industry but suppliers of products, services and technologies around the oil and gas industry are not excluded from participating.

Would you like to meet with decision makers in QHSE, Finance, IT & Telecom, Services Maintenance, Tank Farm, Drilling, General Resources, Support Services, Civil Engineering, Constructions, Refining and Executives of the industry Oil and Gas industry, then be sure to register today at: http://napec-dz.com/NorthAfricaPetroleumExhibitionConference2017.html as this will be the ideal forum to increase your contacts and enrich your B2B customer base.

The North Africa Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (NAPEC) the organizer is pleased to announce the launch of three of the major oil and gas events in North Africa: North Africa Petroleum Conference & the North Africa Exploration and Production Conference, and North Africa Pipelines Conference, held simultaneously in 21-24 March 2017 in Oran, Algeria.

North Africa is one of the world’s major oil and gas hubs, given its huge proven reserve and production capacity. North Africa has also emerged as one of the key players in terms of unconventional resources. However, challenges around extracting, producing, drilling and refining in North Africa are unique, and pressing. The Objective of NAPEC is to bring together eminent industry leaders, technical expert under one roof.

If you are interested in playing an integral part of the 07th North Africa Petroleum Exhibition and Conference- get in touch today with us today on business@napec-dz.com/ contact@napec-dz.com or call 00213674405755/ 00213 550468898/ 0044 795 7790346